New Stephen King-Approved Show on Netflix is a Must-Watch for Fargo Fans

Summary

• Recently, The Tourist, starring Jamie Dornan and Danielle Macdonald, was released on Netflix.
• The show has received rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, including praise from Stephen King himself.
• Narratively and stylistically, the show should appeal to those who enjoyed the first season of Fargo.

Netflix's library has recently been updated with a new action thriller, The Tourist, created by the writer/producer duo of brothers Harry and Jack Williams. The Tourist has become one of the highest-rated shows on Netflix, with an impressive 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

It's even gotten to the point where none other than Stephen King himself has praised the show! Here's a look at the series and why The Tourist is sure to please fans of the other writer/producer duo, the Coen Brothers.

King of Horror Praised the Series

Although the series in question does not belong to the horror genre at all, Stephen King is not only the master of all things creepy and mystic, but also of all things creepy and realistic! That's why, being also a great movie lover, he did not miss the opportunity to share his opinion about The Tourist. Well, to be more precise, the series' first episode.

'THE TOURIST (Netflix): Don't know what happens after the first episode, but the opening chapter is flat-out terrific. Exciting, suspenseful, mysterious...and full of the kindness of strangers to someone down on his luck.'

What's the New Show on Netflix About?

After being run over by a semitruck somewhere in the Australian outback for some inexplicable reason, the main character (initially simply referred as 'the man'), portrayed by Jamie Dornan, wakes up in a small-town hospital. Suddenly, he discovers that he doesn't recall any memories and suffers from amnesia. As he attempts to discover his real identity, he is confronted with efforts to assassinate him.

With that comes the storyline of Helen Chambers, who is portrayed by Danielle Macdonald. When she meets the man, at first Helen is reserved and skeptical, but she then comes to realize that since she's had to deal with a lifetime of pressure about her appearance in the phobic hometown, she has nothing to lose. So Chambers agrees to assist the man in discovering who he really is.

Helen is a perfect reflection of the man, as she also doesn't really understand her place in this world and is constantly under pressure because of her body.

Why You'll Absolutely Love This Show if You're a Fargo Fan

Amnesia is a common movie trope. Paul Verhoeven's cyberpunk Total Recall, Christopher Nolan 's Memento, Doug Liman's The Bourne Identity, and myriad of other examples. But apply the Coen Brothers' narrative style (as in Fargo, both a movie and a TV series they produced) to such a trope, and you get The Tourist.

For all the gloom and the criminal madness that the Coen brothers' characters engage in, the core of their tales is always about the human condition. Greed, cynicism and selfishness have permeated our lives and our relationships with others, while kindness, empathy and compassion are the essential human qualities that can provide a ray of light even in this bleak state of the world.

Macdonald's character, who is incredibly reminiscent of Deputy Molly Solverson, played by Allison Tolman in the first season of Fargo, is such a ray of light for the protagonist. She's just as simplistic, a little naive, but also she is a brilliant and perceptive cop with an immensely kind heart and deep compassion. Helen Chambers literally counterbalances both the town's cynicism and the blood trail that leads to Dornan's character.

Finally, the second season will be released on Netflix on February 29, continuing the attempts of the character played by Jamie Dornan to discover his original identity while facing the consequences of his past self in the form of people who want to kill him. This time, the series is set in Ireland.

Source: X.